Strip guidance system for machines that form pipes from continuous profiled and spiralled strips

ABSTRACT

“STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FROM PIPES FROM CONTINUOUS PROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS” for machines that produce spiraled tubes ( 1 ) or pipes from continuous strips ( 2 ) that are wound on a roll ( 3 ), forming first a profile of at least one continuous flat strip ( 2 ) of metal or any other type of smooth material, which after the profiling process are spiraled and interlocked to itself to form a continuous segment of spiraled pipe ( 1 ) or hose and that the strips ( 2 ) raw materials are usually provided and stored in the form of pancakes, rolls ( 3 ) or coils. The strip is fed from the storage area to the initial profiling stage of the process by means of a feeding mechanism ( 4 ) in such manner that at least one strip ( 2 ) is unwound by guides ( 5 ) and induced in a spiral pathway ( 6 ) along the machine axis ( 7 ), and that in order to keep the strip ( 2 ) on the said spiraled trajectory ( 6 ) the system includes secondary guides ( 10 ) which together with the primary guides ( 5 ) act as to limit the deformation and bending of the strip ( 2 ).

This application for a patent, its description, and claims is regardingto an inventive solution in matters of the system for transporting rawmaterials within a coiled tube forming machine that can be translated asraw material feeder equipment for material which are presented in theform of strips, profiles or wires with 10 defined features.

The unique equipment was designed with the aim to simplify thetransportation of raw materials stored on reels, rolls, or coils, fromits storage position especially to the initiation point of the profilingprocess for forming continuous spiraled tubes.

BACKGROUND FOR THE INVENTION:

i. Field of the Invention

The presented invention relates to strip profiling machines as a generaland more specifically, to an apparatus for making spiraled tubes orpipes from continuous strips that are interlocked.

ii. Description of the Prior Art

A brief explanation is presented about the state of the art formachinery that process strips for the production of spiraled tubes orpipes, as well as the way these types of machines and processes arebeing fed. It will be possible for an expert technician to recognize theaspects that guide the development needs and technological advanceswhich are the basis for the innovations presented in this patentapplication.

The prior art shows examples of all sorts in relation to thetransportation and processing of metal strips. This prior art is clearlyshown in the patents U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,008;FR 83,194,74; U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,829; U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,596, amongothers.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,980 patent of Nov. 15, 1988 is regarding anapparatus for making helically wound interlocked flexible pipe andincludes a rotating head mounted for rotation about a main shaft whichcenter of rotation coincides with the geometrical length axis of theflexible pipe being formed. The raw material is stored at the rear endof the machine in the form of strips, which are wound on bobbins. Thestrip is guided from the rear to some point at the front of the machineparallel to the machine axis through a channel in the main shaft. Toreach the front of the machine the strip undergoes drastic changes inthe feeding direction on its trajectory. The system further includes arewinding system to load the strip onto the storage bobbins.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,008 patent of Apr. 19, 1988 is an equipment toform spiraled pipes from metal strips. The strip is unwound from theinner diameter of the coil, which is located directly around the pipeforming process.

The FR 83,194,74 patent of Dec. 6, 1983 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,276) refersto equipment designed to make a continuous tubular structure from metalstrips. The metal strip is perpendicularly fed to the axis of themachine to forming rollers, which are mounted on same machine face onwhich the raw material is stored, and which rotates around a horizontalaxis. The equipment further has a set of pressure rollers positionedaround a mandrel to interlock the profiled strip, and thereby form thetubular structure. The mandrel rotates in a direction opposite to thedirection of the plate.

The U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,829 patent of May 30, 2000 refers to equipmentfor producing a spiraled tubular structure from two grooved profilesdelivered from two separate coils. The feeding of the profiles isparallel and linear in relation to the rotating axis and applies avariable tensioning device to maintain control of the process.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,596 patent of Feb. 16, 1988 refers to equipmentfor the production of coiled tube from a metal strip. The strip issupplied from coils and transformed in to a profile, which is spiraledwithout being interlocked. The interlocking process occurs in a secondphase where the axial speed is greater than the axial speed of thespiraling process. This differential in axial speed causes theinterlocking of the spiraled profile.

As can be concluded the machines that produce interlocking coiled tubes,also known as housing, or carcass, are common in the state oftechnology. The tubes are produced from a profile derived from acontinuous strip of flat metal or other smooth material, profiled andsubsequently spiraled and interlocked to form a continues segment ofhose or tube.

The strips or tapes are usually stored in the machine in the form ofpancake rolls, coils, or bobbins, which are located at the front or rearend of the machine. The strip is traditionally transported from thestorage area to processing point in a pathway perpendicular to therotating axis, linearly aligned to this axis, or in a combination of thetwo forms, linear and perpendicular, requiring dramatic changes in thetransportation direction of the strip.

Strips with large cross-sections or made of resistant materials aredifficult to bend and thus presents great difficulties itstransportation between the coil and the point of processing andprofiling, especially when needing to undergo dramatic changes in thetransportation direction along its way. The previously applied solutionfor this difficulty was to position the coil eccentric on front side ofthe machine, in such a manner that the strip is fed perpendicular to themachine axis into the profiling process without inducing any significanttwisting or bending of the strip.

The previous applied solutions for stocking and transportation of rawmaterials present a number of disadvantages:

-   -   Storing raw material eccentric on the front side of the machine        only permits the storage of small amounts of raw materials. As a        result the machine needs to be re-stocked frequently with new        batches of raw materials, resulting in frequent and long        interruption of the productive process. As a consequence the        machine can only reach a low level of overall productivity.    -   The storage of raw materials in an eccentric position creates        large centrifugal forces, which need to be offset by the        incorporation of a counter balancing system which compensates        for the eccentric weight of the stored raw materials. As the raw        material is being consumed by the profiling and tube forming        process, the eccentric weight of stored material changes and as        such the counter balancing system needs to be continuously        adjusted during the production process.    -   In the case of strips of thin and flexible raw material it is        possible to store this material at the rear of the machine. This        allows the storage of large amounts of materials, and the        storage can be concentrically located around the machine axis.        The transportation of the material from the back to the front        end of the machine is traditionally executed in a pathway that        results in a combination of feed directions perpendicular and        linear to the machine axis. This requires a number of drastic        changes in the position of the strip during its trajectory.

The aim of this invention is to simplify the pathway of the stored rawmaterial to the processing area within the machine. The presentedinvention of “STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORM PIPES FROMCONTINUOUS PROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS” is anchored in the concept oftransporting the raw material a spiraled pathway parallel along therotational axis of the machine. This concept in particularly providesadvantages when processing strips with large cross sections, or made ofresistant and/or inflexible materials. The pathway of the strip in thisproposed solution eliminates drastic changes in the material pathwaywhich reduces the material deformations and as a result reduces thecreation of undesired internal material tensions.

As a practical consequence of the present invention, there is no need tobalance eccentric forces, which are eliminated due to the storagepositioning concentric to the machine axis.

The storage system which is located at the rear end of the machineallows for increased capacity of strip thus reducing the number ofproduction interruptions for the loading of raw materials. It alsoincludes an optional second storage area, which allows the supply of rawmaterial time parallel time to the pipe formation process.

Since there are no sharp bends along the route of the tape, thetransport of the material requires much less effort which allows for abetter control of the feeding process.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the presented system, showing thematerial feeding system to the profiling operation;

FIG. 2 represents a side view of the presented invention, showing thespiraled pathway for the raw material from the storage area to the frontend of the equipment;

FIG. 3 represents the top view of the presented invention showing thespiraled pathway for the raw material from the storage area to the frontend of the equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description should be read and interpreted with referenceto the presented figures. These figures are presented for explanatorypurpose, and not with the intention to limit the scope of the invention.

STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORM PIPES FROM CONTINUOUSPROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS:

The machine that produce spiraled pipes (1) from continuous strips (2)of material that are wound on a coil (3) or bobbin, forming first aprofile of at least one continuous flat strip (2) of metal or any othertype of smooth material, which after the profiling process, is spiraledand interlinked to itself to form a continuous segment of spiraled pipeor hose. (1) This process results in a flexible and structural tubularmember, which can be either the final product or the first layer of amultiple layered pipe or tube. This first layer is commonly referred toas “Carcass” (1).

The raw material strip (2) is generally supplied in bobbins, coils, orpancakes (3) and stored at the rear end of the machine. The strip may beamended in the form of weidmends to produce long length of profiles andpipes. In case the machine is equipped with multiple storagecompartments (3), the reloading of these compartments can be executedduring machine operation (time parallel to the pipe production) orduring machine stoppages. The raw materials storage areas (3) can beadjusted in width to allow different sizes of raw material strips (2).

The presented invention “STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORMPIPES FROM CONTINUOUS PROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS” for machines thatproduce spiraled tubes (1) or pipes, from continuous strips (2) of metalor any other type of smooth material that are wound on pancakes (3),coils or bobbins, forming first a profile of at least one continuousflat strip (2). After the profiling process the pre-formed strip (12) isspiraled and interlocked to itself to form a continuous segment ofspiraled pipe (1) or hose. The raw material is fed to the machine fromthe storage area (3) by a strip feeding mechanism (4) in such mannerthat at least one strip (2) is unwound by guides (5) and induced in aspiraled pathway along the main machine axis (7), which takes the stripto the entry point of a profiling box (8), and that said guides (5)ensure that the strip (2) passes over cylindrical and/or conical rollers(9) in such a manner that it induces a slight twist in the strip (2) tostart following the said spiraled pathway (6). In order to maintain thestrip (2) on the said spiraled trajectory (6) the system includessecondary guides (10) which together with the primary guides (5) act asto limit the deformation and bending of the strip (2). The strip feedermechanism (4) controls the feed rate of the strip (2) by means oftension and/or speed in order to provide synchronization with the speedof the profiling system (8) and subsequently the rate that the profiledstrip (12) is supplied to the pressurizing rolls (11). The pressurizingrolls (11) functionally operate in parallel both as guides andpressurizing elements to finalize the interlocking of the profiled strip(12) which was previously formed by the profiling box (8). The profilingbox (8) include an arrangement of sets of profiling rolls mounted in aparticular sequence on shafts (13) which are driven and which can beadjusted to allow for variations in pressure, strip size and profile.The profiling box (8) is mounted directly on the rotating main faceplate (14) of the machine, or on an adaptor system (15) which allows toadjust the profiling box (8) position in such a manner that is possibleto directly feed the profiled strip (12) into the pressurizing rolls(11) while maintaining flexibility to produce spiraled pipes (1) withdifferent profiles, diameters and thickness.

In a further constructive variation, the machine is constructed with athrough-bore in the length direction of the main shaft (7) to allow thepassing of a primary element which can serve as the center element ofthe spiraled pipe. (1)

A mandrel (16) rotates in the same direction as the main shaft (7),however at a slower rate, thereby avoiding the gripping between thespiraled pipe (1) and the mandrel (16).

1- “STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORM PIPES FROM CONTINUOUSPROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS” for machines which form spiraled pipes(1) processes strips (2) of rolls of material (3), first forming aprofile from one or more continuous strips (2) of flat metal or othersmooth material, which are subsequently spiraled and interlocked to forma continuous length of spiraled pipe (1) or hose and that said strips(2) of raw materials are usually provided in the form of pancakes (3),bobbins or coils, characterized by the fact that said machines utilize afeeding mechanism (4) in such manner that at least one strip (2) isunwound by guides (5) and induced in a spiral pathway (6) along the mainmachine axis (7) which takes the strip to the entry point of a profilingbox (8), and that said guides (5) ensure that the strip (2) passes overcylindrical and/or conical rollers (9) in such a manner that induces atwist in the strip (2) to start following the said spiraled pathway (6),in order to keep the strip (2) on the said spiraled trajectory (6) thesystem includes secondary guides (10) which together with the primaryguides (5) act as to limit deformation and bending of the strip (2). 2-“STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORM PIPES FROM CONTINUOUSPROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS” according to claim 1, characterized byfact that the equipment feeder mechanism (4) controls the feed rate ofstrip (2) by means of tension and/or speed in order to providesynchronization with the speed of the profiling system (8) andsubsequently the rate that the profiled strip (12) is supplied to thepressurizing roils (11), which functionally operate in parallel both asa guides and pressurizing elements to finalize the interlocking of theprofiled strip (12) previously formed by the profiling box (8). 3-“STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORM PIPES FROM CONTINUOUSPROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS”, according to claim 1, characterized bythe fact that it includes a profiling box (8) with an arrangements ofsets of profiling rolls mounted in a particular sequence of shafts (13)which are drive and adjusted to allow for variations in pressure, stripsize and profile. 4- “STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORM PIPESFROM CONTINUOUS PROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS”, according to claim 1,characterized by the fact that the profiling box (8) is mounted directlyon the rotating main face plate (14) of the machine, or on an adaptersystem (15) which allows to adjust the profiling box (8) position insuch a manner that it is possible to directly feed the profiled strip(12) into the pressurizing rolls (11) while maintaining the flexibilityto produce spiraled pipes (1) with different profiles, diameters andthickness. 5- “STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR MACHINES THAT FORM PIPES FROMCONTINUOUS PROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS”, according to claim 1,characterized by the fact that in a constructive variation, the mainmachine shaft (7) contains a through bore in its length direction inorder to allow the passing of a primary element which can serve as thecenter element of the spiraled pipe (1). 6- “STRIP GUIDANCE SYSTEM FORMACHINES THAT FORM PIPES FROM CONTINUOUS PROFILED AND SPIRALLED STRIPS”according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it include amandrel (16) which rotates in the same direction as the main shaft (7),however at a slower rate, thereby avoiding the gripping between thespiraled pipe (1) and the mandrel (16).